Police said probe is underway in the case. (Representational)
Five men have been arrested in Kerala's northern district of Kannur after a 16-year-old girl alleged she was "raped by several men, including her father, on several occasions," G Siva Vikram, Kannur District Police Chief told NDTV on Wednesday. The girl's father is one of the five men who have been arrested.
Seven other men, including a member and former officer bearer of Democratic Youth Federation of India, the CPM's youth wing, were detained.
"Initially, the minor had named just two men. From that, based on mobile tower locations and further probe based on evidences, we have zeroed down to 19 suspects", Venugopal, the police officer in charge of Taliparamba in Kannur, told NDTV.
Police said the girl, a Class 10 student, claimed she was raped by her father several times over the last two years.
The girl also told police she was raped by at least four men in November and one of the men is suspected to have befriended her through social media. "Three other accused were his friends," a police official said. The four men, who have been arrested, are in their 30s.
The girl's mother filed the police complaint on Monday. "The matter first came to the notice of the girl's brother. He spoke to his sister. And that's when the mother also got to know about this. The brother also alleged that he was blackmailed with videos involving his sister," Mr Vikram told NDTV.
The 16-year-old, while giving her statement to the police, also mentioned about another girl facing sexual abuse. Police said further probe is underway.